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June 1, 2008

A Simple Cucumber Salad

Recently I was reading a postby Kristen at Dine and Dish about a Cucumber Salad that she took to a potluck BBQ. She said initially, it didn't get chosen by many but the few who took a chance on it enjoyed it. I love cucumbers and the flavors in this salad sounded like they would be a nice side to meal with grilled chicken.

I made this salad in a matter of minutes. I think that it is enhanced when left to sit in the fridge for longer than I was able to the day I served it. I did leave out the peanuts as that was the only part of the recipe that I thought might get a raised eyebrow at my table. The vinegar adds just the right amount of tang to the dressing. I would agree with Kristen in that this is a nice side, but probably not great for a potluck. Of course, that depends on the group of people you are serving, if they are used to mayo based potato and macaroni type salads this won't go over so well. This worked well for us as we were trying to keep our meal light and filled with more veggies.

I also recently tried another Penzey'sspice blend, BBQ 3000. It's their newest addition to their long list of spice blends. I used some thin-cut boneless skinless chicken breasts and brushed them with EVOO. Then liberally sprinkled the BBQ 3000 over both sides. I let them sit all day in the fridge so that they could absorb the flavors. I grilled it up and really loved the flavor of the chicken. I read that this is also amazing on baby back ribs, which I'll be giving a try very soon!